Chapter 23 (TROHP)
Review Responses: keyblademeister88: I hate to spoil, but I have no plans for her to ever be an enemy. It would be flat-out suicide for her to try, and as the BWL's brother, his death would draw to much attention and James Jr. could ensure his death was investigated until she was convicted. So, no she won't cross him. That was just harmless flirting. Kego66: Thanks. missrazz72: That would be unhealthy, trust me. It's best for him to vent that disdain internally or externally, or learn how to resurrect people he kills in his eventual fits of rage. comodo50: I'm glad you like it. Right now, Harry is just showing her that certain behavior isn't acceptable and that he isn't throwing away someone he truly cares about for her. JesusN: I'll ask have to for someone's advice first, I've never received an offer like that before. I should have gotten back to you by tomorrow, August 16th. November 24th, 1994. It was finally time for the first task: Dragons. I had pushed James hard since he became a champion, and he was better for it, he was seven months ahead of his peers in the practical aspects of Charms, Transfiguration, and DADA, and was almost that far ahead in the theoretical, but would catch up soon. I was surprised that he didn't hate me with how hard I was working him, but he hadn't even so much as glared at me. I had even taught him some basic Occlumency exercises to calm himself and get him closer to eventual mastery. Mom had kept him only slightly ahead of his peers in Potions, but his brewing had suffered under Snape's ineptitude, and mom was having to undo the damage. The only good thing was that she supported his sacking now, and I found some evidence in Arcturus Black's files that I would use against Snape and Dumbledore. I had managed to deflower the Carrow twins. Fortunately they weren't so similar that the ritual didn't differentiate between them, and my power grew by forty-four percent. I still needed to find new prey and was reluctant to target certain others. Some of the prettier and more desirable girls had apologized to James, and I didn't want to cost him or myself potential allies. At least I was fortunate enough that I had a school full of girls to shag, but that would have to wait until later... It was time for the first task, and James had went against my advice and had informed Diggory of the Dragons. I wanted him to have an advantage to compensate for his inexperience, but he refused and went and blabbed to Diggory. I did secretly take measures to insure my brothers success though... Diggory had already failed his task, getting his lower body horribly burnt and screaming like a little girl. That was my best work at sabotage, and got a lot of laughs. Fleur had encountered some difficulty, but was so far the person to beat. I just didn't have the heart to risk ruining her beauty, but the second task should insure that she had a major disadvantage. Krum had gotten several of his eggs smashed, and managed to get his egg before being burned and screaming in agony before extinguishing the fire and getting himself to safety. I had already insured Karkaroff would grade my brother fairly. I offered him a safe-house under the Fidelius Charm in return for information on the Death Eaters when asked for, and he readily agreed. Finally, the fourth whistle sounded, and James stepped into the arena. He quickly located the Horntail, and then silently summoned his Firebolt. It finally arrived a short time later, and I had spent that time nervously wondering whether or not he had cast the spell properly. I began watching the strategy he insisted on using, which Moody suggested. I wanted him to slay the dragon and sale the corpse for money, but he wanted to try outflying it. Honestly, he could have slew it quicker... and without just getting grazed by its tail. I watched his continued attempts, with disdain. He was wasting time on this moronic strategy, and looked like an idiot. And he finally got that damned egg. Well, at least he was okay and was in the lead, and that was what really mattered. I had to admit to myself, I wasn't pleased about being proven wrong, but I would get over it, my joy at my brother still being alive would insure that. I watched James get gestured over to Madam Pomfrey's tent so he could be checked out. He exited the tent a few minutes later, and the judges began giving him his scores. An eight from Madam Maxime. A nine from Mr. Crouch. A nine from Dumbledore. A ten from Bagman. A ten from Karkaroff. Our agreement was highly beneficial, at least to my brother, but I was sure it would be beneficial to myself later on. That put James securely in first place, and if he could hold onto that placing then he could dominate the tournament by holding a comfortable point lead for the eventual maze. I was so glad that I went through Bagman's mind, it had certainly been worth the trouble. I had advanced knowledge of the three tasks, all the known threats in them, and I learned that he had some gambling debts that could hinder the eventual war effort. Hours later... James had finally gotten away from his fickle sycophants, and snuck into the Room of Requirement where we were all waiting. "Sorry!" James said, with a goofy smile. "I had to sneak out of the party, but I brought the egg like you asked, though, all it does is make shrieking and wailing sound when it's opened." "Oh? Let's hear it then," I said, perfectly portraying my 'suspicions of what it was'. James gave an apologetic look to everyone and opened it. "Okay! Close it!" I yelled. James obeyed, after giving me a look that said: 'I told you so!' "It's Mermish, you have to listen to it underwater." I said, willing a tub of water to form. "I'm not getting naked!" James said defensively, causing dad and Sirius to smirk. "I'm glad, but, perhaps, you could simply set the egg inside, with your head submerged and listen to it." I said calmly, resisting the urge to mock him. "Oh," James said dumbly. "Yes, I have no desire to see you naked, little brother." I said in amusement, and caused him to blush in embarrassment. Thankfully, he just silently put the egg in the tub and submerged his head. He resurfaced a minute later, and I quickly dried him off, with a wave of my hand. "Well?" I asked, with an undertone of excitement. "It said... Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour, the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back. "...and it kind of scares me." "They'll be taking a hostage then," I said, for all intents and purposes just realizing it. "What?" Mom asked, in shock. "Yeah, this tournament is dumb. I can't believe that I ever wanted to participate in it." I admitted. "Sadly, all we can do is continue James' training, and look for ways for him to breathe underwater for an hour. There is a rumor that a Ball will take place on Christmas, maybe whoever James takes can be his hostage; a prospective true love would make a much better hostage for him, and that might be the intention of the tournament organizers." "I won't go then!" James said, angrily. "It's rumored to be mandatory for champions, so you'll have to go. Your hostages should actually be safe, them losing the lives of innocents would cause a massive outcry and have the tournament permanently outlawed. I've already begun researching ways to destroy the Goblet of Fire, the process of its creation was lost, so doing that would end the idiotic tournament for good." I said, to their interest. "Sadly, the only way to destroy it seems to be a spell that was classified unforgivable in over a hundred countries. Luckily, however, it's not unforgivable in Britain." "What spell is it?" Mom asked. "Hell fire." I said, causing them gasp. "It's rumored to be able to liquify goblin forged metals in moments, and the Goblet was dwarf made and therefore slightly inferior." I explained. "I have no plans to try destroying it, that plan is an absolute last resort, and even then I'd rather just steal and hide it under a Fidelius Charm with myself as the Secret Keeper and take the secret to my grave." That last part was a lie, but they didn't need to know of my plans. "So you'll continue teaching me the Hogwarts curriculum?" James asked. "Yes, we need to get you to a seventh year level and then get you comfortable with using those spells. Tonight, however, you can rest or maybe read up on the theory. You still have a slight weakness there that needs work. I'll let you go, and I'll try to think up some strategies to suggest for you." "Thanks, Harry, and I'm sorry again for listening to Moody. I knew he was a suspect, but it sounded like a good plan." "It was an okay plan, but you won and that's what matters. Just avoid Moody, Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore." I advised. "They're all untrustworthy, and McGonagall has proven that she obeys Dumbledore above all others. You might also want to learn how to dance and begin dating the girl you want as your date to this Ball." "I will!" James called out, before exiting the Room of Requirement. "All I have so far is the Bubble-Head Charm, Gillyweed, or a partial Transfiguration. He could also flip a coin on having an Animagus form useful for the task, but it's unlikely that he would." I said, to my family. "I can acquire some Gillyweed and teach him the charm, using Gillyweed for an hour with the charm as a back up would be a great strategy." Mom said, getting nods of agreement from all of us. "I'll consider ways to study the Black Lake without giving anything away to the other champions. My snake Animagus form should help, though the Merpeople might attack if I do, so that just leaves doing it in human form..." I said, trailing off at the end and getting lost in though. "What can I do to help?" Sirius asked impatiently. "Stay away from the seventeen year old girls. They don't need an old man leering at them and they know you're with us, and would blame James and that will cost him support." I said seriously, causing mom and dad to laugh, and Sirius to glare playfully at me. "I'll have you know that ladies love me!" Sirius said, with a cocky smirk. "Maybe older women with children or grandchildren. I hear McGonagall is single, by the way." I said, causing Sirius to look disgusted, and mom and dad to snicker. "You do owe her an apology for all that bad behavior in your youth. You could demonstrate your skills with your other wand and put it in her holster." "Harry!" Mom and Dad called out, as Sirius looked like he was gonna puke. "Fine! I'll stop!" "We'll find something for Sirius to do, but you need to get to bed Harry." Mom said, sternly. She must have not approved of my dirty humor, which wasn't that surprising. "Yes, mom." I said in resignation, before leaving without saying goodbye. I hated being dismissed or treated like a child! I could kill everyone here and was already considering disposing of Dumbledore, Snape, Moody, and McGonagall. They were just small threats, but needed to be dealt with before they could become bigger threats. December 5th, 1994. It was finally time for Team Hogwarts versus Team Beauxbatons, and the winner would face Durmstrang, and then lose. As I went over that last thought, I felt as though I had just lost months of my life, but was ironically pleased. It was incredibly unlikely that either of those teams would win, and I had every intention of not taking any unnecessary risks and costing my school the victory. Hogwarts had to suffer some major humiliations, and had to be forced to change. Of course, that was only one part of my plans. I was just glad that everyone was in attendance for the duels. "It's time for the second round of Dueling Tournament: Team Hogwarts versus Team Beauxbatons!" Professor Flitwick said excitedly. "Cedric Diggory will be trying to replicate Harry Potter and Nysa White's feat of single-handedly defeating the opposing team." Flitwick said, causing Nysa and I to snort derisively. At the same time. Perhaps we had too much in common? I was broken from my thoughts by Diggory glaring at us. I waved at him in an overly cheerful manner. "Duelists, please step onto the platform." They obeyed. Fleur was obviously eager to humiliate Diggory, and was sneering at him. "Duelists, please bow." Diggory bowed, but Fleur refused too, she wasn't going to treat the weakling with any respect; especially considering how undeserving of it he was. Diggory looked angry at being publicly insulted and humiliated again, but this time people were actually laughing at him. The entire Durmstrang and Beauxbatons delegation, and quite a few Slytherin's and Ravenclaw's. "Begin!" Flitwick called out nervously. Fleur released her allure and began her attack with multiple stunners. Diggory shielded, but the shield was quickly obliterated by her overwhelming power, and Diggory fell to a Stunning Spell a moment later. I was pleased that I still held the record for quickest victory in the Dueling Tournament, though, Fleur nearly broke my record. "Fleur Delacour wins!" Flitwick called out in shock. He was, no doubt hoping that Hogwarts would win this and continue competing in the tournament! He looked heartbroken. Most of the Hogwarts students were shocked into silence, but the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang delegations were pleased. "I will continue, and I will defeat the other member of Team Hogwarts!" Fleur proclaimed arrogantly. I noticed Alaries rise angrily, but Cort forced him to sit back down and angered Alaries parents with his manhandling of their son, though he silenced their opposition with a glare that promised pain if they interfered. "Would you like a five minute break?" Flitwick asked, in concern. "Non, I will defeat him now." Fleur replied, arrogantly. I noticed her discreetly glance my direction, and I realized that she was trying to impress me. I managed to maintain my bored facade, while observing that she had adopted a more serious and determined expression. "Zabini please step onto the platform." Flitwick said nervously. Zabini obeyed, and looked surprisingly confident. "Duelists, please bow." Neither of them did, but Zabini readied himself. "Begin!" Flitwick called out. As soon as he finished speaking, the platform erupted into a storm of spellfire. Fleur and Zabini were casting, then deflecting and seemed to be locked in trading spellfire. Fleur was incredibly skilled, and that was beyond denial, she was faster and more powerful. I decided that if she could tolerate sharing me with Nysa and my other wives then I would allow her a place in my life. Fleur just managed to turn the duel to her favor and had forced Zabini to resort to shielding, though she quickly blasted his shield into oblivion and stunned him. "Fleur Delacour wins! Single-handedly defeating the Hogwarts team!" Flitwick called out. The Beauxbatons delegations broken into applause and cheer and some of the Durmstrang delegation did too, but quite a few looked concerned. "I take it she will be considered to be one of your wives or girlfriends?" Nysa asked. "If she can accept sharing and being second to you." I replied, making her smile. "She's already second to you in skill and magical power, she might as well be second in the collective I'm forming. If she gets on your nerves we can send her packing, though." Nysa looked relieved when I said that, and even kissed me on the cheek. "On January 5th, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will duel, and the winner will take home the thousand Galleon prize." Flitwick announced. Everyone began exiting, Nysa and I found someplace to wait on Fleur. "Hello, 'Arry." Fleur said, flirtatiously. "I see zat I got your attention. Have you decided to leave your girlfriend?" "No, but I'm still willing to have two girlfriends and Nysa is willing to share. I will be legally allowed to have a wife per title of nobility and I have quite a bit of stamina and love sex, so that's hardly a negative in my mind." I said, in reply. "Why do you need both of us?" Fleur asked, with a smirk in Nysa's direction. "For the previously listed reason and I'd like my wives combined magical power to equal my own. There will be many more women invited Fleur. Some I will impregnate, so they can continue their family lines, and some I will choose as wives for my eventual titles. Is this unacceptable to you?" I asked, also noticing Cort glaring at me from a distance. "I-i'll think about it." Fleur said, nervously. "Fair enough. I hope you do decide to join us, though. I think you'd enjoy yourself." I said, before she walked away. Nysa and I began exiting Hogwarts. I had a project to inspect and couldn't do it here and couldn't yet trust Nysa with the information regarding my plots. When we went our separate ways, I disapparated away, to Black Manor. When I arrived, I found my house-elves sorting the loot. "How did it go?" I asked, with a smile. "We stole all of headmasters Dumbles personal books, information, and useful artifacts. No-one, not even portraits or the phoenix saw us, Master." My personal elf informed me. I began scanning the objects for tracking spells, but found none. My elves did great! "Excellent. Any of them that were not in my collection?" "Several, Master. Though most are light or grey oriented." He replied. "And the looting of the Moody family knowledge?" I asked. "We managed it, but we had to draw on excess magic from Black Manor to break some wards. They had wards against house-elves, and we had to over-power them and dismantle other security measures. We have only just gotten back." I also checked those for tracking spells, and found none. I did see some older Auror books from the original classes that dated back to the founding of the department. I had read that they contained powerful magic, which was essentially low-class battle-magic. I was looking forward to mastering it. "Good. Any casualties?" "No, Master." "Excellent! I'll return to Hogwarts then." I said, before disapparating away. I arrived near Durmstrang's ship, and quickly entered the ship with a pleased smile. When I reached the deck, I found most of the delegation waiting and Nysa was looking nervous. Most of them were sneering at me. "What's wrong with these idiots?" I asked Nysa, and quite loudly; offending said idiots. "They think we are too weak to win the tournament for Durmstrang." Nysa informed me, with a sneer directed at them. "And you squibs think you're strong enough? I've seen muggle-borns with more magical power!" I said mockingly, trying to provoke them into attacking. "Honestly most of you are so pathetically weak it would be an act of mercy to kill you, and spare your families further shame." Oh! I seemed to have crossed the line! I shielded against their spells and began counter-attacking with powerful spells... I quickly blasted nine back with a concussive spell and repeated the process on the other half, while obliterating their weak shields, and began stunning the ones near Krum and a very pleased looking Karkaroff. "Any more doubts from the worthless rabble?" I asked, with a sneer. "I'll personally make sure that you suffer for this, you filthy half-blood! I'll rape your girlfriend and mother and make you watch!" Arnaut Rosier screamed in psychotic rage. I quickly sent a powerful castration curse at him that couldn't be undone. When he screamed, and I had to resist the urge to laugh. "Not now, you won't." I said, with a cruel smile. "If any of you weak idiots cross me, I'll end your worthless bloodlines and the world will thank me for it. I think the events of the Quidditch World Cup prove that." I said, cowing them into submission. "You will all swear oaths on your lives and magic to never even attempt harm my family or those I care for." "If we refuse?" Rosier asked angrily. "I'll persuade you," I said, my tone perfectly conveying what my persuasion would entail, "and then humiliate and break apart your families." The majority of them immediately swore oaths. I noticed most of them were neutral or had no ties to Britain. "Go to hell, Potter!" Rosier called out. I smirked. I was going to enjoy this. I started by telekinetically, and very slowly pulling out one of Arnaut's finger nails.